At the end of December the map was solid blue, signifying "moderate" flu-like activity. When there's little to report, the map is green.

The state also breaks down what strain it's seeing. So far this winter it's H1N1, responsible for 52 of 54 confirmed flu cases last week, and 378 of 401 cases overall during the past four weeks.

H1N1 was responsible for the flu pandemic of 2009, the first year it was identified, at first mistakenly as the "swine flu."

The federal Centers for Disease Control on Jan. 23 reported that it's the same strain being seen across the county, and is one that was in this year's flu shot.

Hunterdon Healthcare Director of Infection Prevention Lisa Rasimowicz said on Jan. 29 that H1N1 is unusual in it's target population: young and middle-aged adults.

"This is the same population that was getting sick in 2009," half of them "the people taking care of the young kids and the elderly."

Seniors "may have been exposed at some time in the past," and may have developed "some immunity to it," she said.

According to the CDC, the virus previously resulted in "many requiring intensive care unit admission, and some fatalities have been reported .... Annual influenza vaccination is recommended for all persons aged 6 months and older, and is the best way to prevent influenza."

It says that about 133.4 million doses of flu vaccine have been distributed nationwide since the end of August.

The CDC advises that "antiviral treatment, when initiated as early as possible in patients with confirmed or suspected influenza, can reduce severe outcomes of influenza."

To reduce the likelihood of contracting the flu or a respiratory virus, Rasimowicz reminded, "Wash your hand, wash your hands, wash your hands. Cover your mouth when you sneeze," using a sleeve, not a hand, and avoid touching your face in public, because germs are picked up from multiple surfaces.

"You hear a lot of people coughing and sneezing, and saying they just don't feel well," she said.

Hunterdon Healthcare is monitoring flu activity at the Hunterdon Medical Center and its health centers and offices on a daily basis.

So far, Rasimowicz said, the greatest number of people testing positive for the flu have come in to the emergency room. She can't say why that it, but has heard that some people use "an emergency room like a primary doctor's office" because it offers more, and in some cases quicker, tests.

For instance, she said, "You can't get a chest X-ray in your doctor's office."